Mom's Meatball Stroganoff

This was one of my favorite dishes as a kid, a less-expensive version of the classic dish created and named for a Count Stroganov in late[ 19th-century Russia. Very popular in America during the 60s and 70s, the original recipe for Beef Stroganoff called for thin sliced of pricey beef fillet. Although my mom used meatballs instead, it seemed luxurious to me. Eventually my mom (and my aunt Jean and my grandmother) stopped making it, maybe because it finally seemed too old fashioned. By the time I wanted to demonstrate it on my show, Beef Stroganoff was so antique that none of my relatives could come up with a recipe — and all I remembered of it were the bouillon cubes, tomato paste and cultivated mushrooms. When I re-created the recipe, I lost the bouillon cubes (too chemical-tasting to me now) and the tomato paste but kept the cultivated mushrooms — although you would get a more elegant dish if you used such flavorful mushrooms as shiitakes or chanterelles. The ground beef of choice is chuck because it has the most flavor (and the most fat, too, alas). If you want to make a lighter version of this dish, you can substitute ground sirloin or ground round and low-fat sour cream.]

Directions

Combine the chuck, half of the chopped onion, the garlic, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, egg yolks, and water in a large bowl. Mix well and form meatballs that measure about 1-inch in diameter. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, shaking and turning, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Don't crowd the pan; work in batches, if necessary. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Pour off any excess fat from the skillet, leaving 3 tablespoons in the pan and add the remaining onion. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the liquid they give off has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour in the sherry, increase the heat to high, and boil until almost all the liquid they give off has evaporated. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

Rub the butter with the flour in a small bowl until it forms a smooth paste. Pinch off pea-sized pieces and add little by little to the boiling sauce, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Add the meatballs, stir in the dill, and sour cream, season with salt and pepper, and cook over low heat until the meatballs are just heated through. Serve hot.

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4.538

I tried this recipe with ground Venison and it was delicious!
Frank Horn
2013-12-16T02:38:35Z
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I&amp;#39;ve made a ground beef version of stroganoff for years with great success. This is similar, except for using meatballs (I just brown seasoned meat and I use beef broth, not chicken. The great tip in this recipe is the flour/butter for thickening, I used it in mine and was very pleased with the results. It also reduced the amount of sour cream needed to get it the right consistency. I also added a pinch of dried dill, didn&amp;#39;t have fresh, and it added another dimension that was good as well. Sherry, to me, is a necessary ingredient for a proper stroganoff.
E Sanders
2013-09-21T16:48:34Z
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I will make this again, except for adding onions to the meatball mixture. When frying the meatballs, the onions began to stick to the skillet and burn. As a result, the final product had a burnt taste. The sauce was excellent and I used portobello mushroom and white wine as opposed to cooking sherry.
aprilgonzalez
2013-05-03T18:14:28Z
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This is a very good version of stroganoff, and you don't have to spend a ton of $$ on a prime cut of beef. My kids LOVE the meatballs. I made a few changes to the recipe that I think made it even better (in my humble opinion. I used a mixture of mushrooms - button, cremini and reconstituted shitake. I reconstituted the shitake in the chicken stock to make it a little more flavorful. I also used creme fraiche instead of sour cream. The sauce is the perfect thickness, and has a rich velvety texture. Served over hot rice and with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts!
jm1001
2012-11-13T17:36:09Z
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A-Mazing! love love love this recipe
Chef Shananigans
2012-10-15T00:39:57Z
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The recipe came out without any problems. However, the flavor of it was not the flavor of stroganoff. I think the reason for this was probably that this recipe has a chicken base but typical stroganoff has a beef base. While this recipe was passable it did not produce "the look" that cooks like to see in people's faces when they taste something absolutely stunning.
polarpalm
2011-12-29T09:27:31Z
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This was tasty! I used one whole egg, beef stock, and yogurt. Everything else as written. Served over medium noodles. The meatballs I cooked in the oven and they were very light and tender. Try it, you'll like it! Oh, I did have to thicken the sauce more with corn starch and water.
KATHERINE M.
2011-09-29T16:59:37Z
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I have made a lot of stroganoff and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. I added a little of thyme to the meatballs and added the flour before the Sherry to saute, besides that followed it to a tee and it was fabulous.
woroniuk
2011-09-01T21:38:13Z
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This was wonderful. I'm saving it in my favorite recipe files. I did make one change based on some of the other reviews. For the sauce, I used one can of chicken broth and one can of cream of mushroom soup. I served the whole thing over penne pasta. The leftovers are just as good as the fresh stuff!!
Deb G.
2011-08-11T14:27:58Z
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I didn't have fresh dill so I used dry. Had I used fresh dill the flavor would have probably been stronger. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it worked out nicely. I enjoyed the mild flavor of the sherry. I agree with another reviewer that the sauce is runny. Next time I will use fresh dill and less stock. It is worth trying again for sure.
Christine M.
2011-05-29T21:11:37Z
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This is by far my favorite stroganoff recipe. The meatballs are really easy and so good. I have made it several times and I am going to make it tonight and make extra meatballs to stick in the freezer. I use whatever wine I have on hand and it always tastes good.
This is one of my kids favorites too!!
Kim A.
2010-05-24T17:23:59Z
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This recipe was quite easy for me to prepare and although I adjusted the recipe by adding more garlic (just my personal preference) it came out great. My wife loved it, and is taking the leftovers to work for lunch!!
Bichondaddy
2008-08-25T20:57:10Z
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No one will know - use high fiber whole wheat bread for your bread crumbs and just throw two slices in a food processor. A natural starch that goes with this is of course egg noodles as a bed for the meatballs. Then, carmelize some onions to serve over the top for better presentation (garnish with a sprig of dill also). To make this Kosher, just find some Tofutti sour cream where the soy products are sold - no one will know the difference. If you don't have whole grain mustard, use dijon and add some "fines herbes," a popular French herb mixture of parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. Kids will devour this meal.
J Grant C.
2008-05-01T08:37:07Z
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Tasty but the sauce was not thick enough, therefore was not great to serve over noodles. Next time i will double the sauce recipe and thicken it up more.
Lindsay M.
2007-08-16T13:48:11Z
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I just served this recipe for the second time. Both times to guests, and both times it was raved about! The meatballs were tender and flavorful and the gravy was delicious. It is definitely a keeper.
Cindy P.
2007-07-29T04:53:47Z
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Made it a little more user friendly for me. Eliminated kosher salt, sherry and sourcream. But it was GREAT!
wilddziner
2007-07-17T18:58:37Z
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easy and delicious
TINA S.
2007-03-18T06:08:24Z
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Will definitely make again. My husband's only complaint was the lack of salt, but I suppose that was "operator error" :)
Alexis C.
2006-12-07T00:05:33Z
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A hit with the entire family.
linda h.
2006-11-27T17:51:01Z
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Everyone loved this dish - very comforting and delicious! There were no leftovers!
Tamara M.
2006-07-25T17:19:46Z
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very easy very delicious
the best stroganoff i have ever had or made
Tracy J.
2006-05-31T19:21:23Z
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Very good! My whole family enjoyed this recipe. The meatballs were especially great.
Rachel P.
2006-03-01T17:49:48Z
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The meatballs are very nice but it took me 2 hours for preparation -- not 15 minutes. It took me 15 minutes just to clean and cut the mushrooms.
Sean D.
2006-02-12T21:36:53Z
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I made this last week and my wife and I enjoyed it. We did find it a trifle bland though which is why it didn't get a fourth star.
HENRY K.
2006-02-06T12:50:58Z
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I served it over wide egg noodles. It was very good.
CARRIE P.
2006-01-13T00:03:54Z
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This recipe is really good! I have tried it with beef or chicken stock and like it either way. I do agree that the meatballs are rather tender - but not terrible. I don't use chuck.
CASEY D.
2005-10-05T20:42:28Z
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I didn't have eggs so I forego the meatball portion - just added cooked ground beef. My husband usually puts hot sauce on everything, but even he appreciated the mellowness of this dish - Thanks Sara!
JUDITH S.
2005-08-14T14:50:27Z
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This is very easy and tasty. The only time-coonsuming part is making the meatballs. Make a day ahead and put in fridge makes it easy to fry and feed on the day you need.
DEBBI V.
2005-07-08T20:06:59Z
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I love Beef Stroganoff, but your Meatball Stroganoff,
sounded so intriguing (I never had a Meatball
Stroganoff). Plus, I'm Italian, and always make xtra
Meatballs for leftovers (Meatball Subs OR for fillers
for my stuffed pastas, stuffed veggies, etc), but
here's another EXCELLENT way for me to incorporate this
into my rotation!
1st time, I made your recipe as is, and it is excellent!
2nd time, I made your recipe, using my MB recipe with
my seasoned breadcrumbs, used my beef broth, &amp; red wine
for the sherry, &amp; used chanterelles as U suggested in
your recipe! Whoa! It turned out with such a complexity
&amp; depth of flavors than I could have imagined. Thank
you, Sara!
PS - both times I did serve it on a bed of egg noodles!
I'm keeping your recipe &amp; mine, 2 for one!
STORMY F.
2005-06-29T09:47:00Z
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Served it with egg noodles and it was absolutely delicious!
akaleli
2005-04-26T10:22:23Z
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I left the sherry out of this completely....just added beef stock and chicken stock. Was wonderful, rich and thick. Served it over buttered egg noodles with some sourdough toast.
Fab44Me
2005-04-13T19:33:54Z
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This will definitely become one of our regular dinner meals. After the meatballs are done, everything comes together so quickly.
TINA S.
2005-03-17T12:06:38Z
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This was very good, the only thing I would change next time is that I would use beef broth rather than chicken, I think the flavor would be a bit more robust with beef broth.
LINDA F.
2005-03-08T11:51:05Z
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Made this for lunch on Sunday. We enjoyed making this dish, and it was even better to sit down and eat it. We used cognac instead of sherry. It turned out great. My son took the left overs to college with him and enjoyed it again for dinner. Thank you.
Fireflye77
2005-03-02T21:17:41Z
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Just had this for dinner tonight! I'm not a mushroom person, but it was delicious! I didn't have sherry and used red wine and it great. The only thing that I wish I didn't use was seasoned breadcrumbs as it overpowered the meatballs--next time plain. Thank you Sara!!!
LYDIA L.
2005-03-02T19:10:23Z
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Great recipe for a quick and easy meal! I didn't have any sherry, so I opted out but it still turned out great. My tip would be to cook the mushrooms first for about 5 minutes then add the onion and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. This goes great with some crusty bread or hot rolls. A new favorite of our house!
ANDREW R.
2005-02-28T09:17:23Z
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I fixed this for a quick dinner for myself and my six big boys after church. They all loved it! I made extra noodles and extra sauce just in case since they are all big eaters. I added about a teaspoon of garlic salt to the meat mixture and used red wine instead of sherry for the sauce. A very inexpensive meal for the troops! Thanks Sarah!
LYNNE T.
2005-02-27T16:44:48Z
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